Afternoon beauty fix: Never smudge your nails ever again!

It seems impossible for me to not smudge my nail polish after a manicure, unless I get it done at the salon. What’s the difference, and what am I doing wrong? You’re probably not doing anything “wrong,” you’re probably just not doing the same amount of work that a manicurist does. There are a few key steps to perfecting a manicure whether you’re at home or at a spa. Before you paint, prep your cuticles with a non-oily cream to prevent skin for tearing and turning into hangnails. Then, after you’ve applied two coats of your chosen polish, apply two drops of cuticle oil (we like Deborah Lippmann’s, $24, at Holt Renfrew) to your nail beds to ensure fresh paint stays moisturized and not chip-able, and to create a slick barrier between wet paint and everything else. Therefore, if you move your hands around too soon, the nail oil will not only protect your perfect paint job from smudging, it will also save your patience for future cracks at DIY.

In need of an afternoon beauty pick-me-up? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.